Automatic valve mechanism.



A. KADOW.

AUTOMATIC VALVE MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-11.1912- '2 SHhETSSHEl-IT 1.

A. KADOW.

AUTOMATIC VALVE MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT- 11,1912.

Patented Nov. 21, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

" NT one.

AUGUST KADOW, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE WESTLAKE MACHINE COMPANY, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

AUTOMATIC VALVE MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 21, 1916.

Application filed September 11, 1912. Serial No. 719,867.

' have invented certain new and useful Im other parts of the apparatus.

A further object is to provide, in apparatus in which a valve is periodically opened by means of a cam, an actuating element interposed between the cam and the valve which can be set or adjusted to vary the moment at which the valve is opened without 7 making any change in the relative position of the cam to the valve.

A more specific object of the invention is to make an improvement especially in the respects above noted, upon the operating mechanism for the vacuum'valve forming a part of the machine for working glass shown and described in my copending application Serial No. 570,621, filed July 6, 1910.

In the machine described in this application the glass is withdrawn fromthe glass furnace in measured charges by means of certain 'vacuum-operated gathering mechanisms. At the proper moments a vacuum is created in what is termed the blank mold. This blank mold is formed with, an inlet port which is brought into contact with the molten glass in the glass furnace. The vacuum sucks up glass into the mold/ The vacu um valve referred to is the valve forputting the gathering or blank mold in communication with the exhausting apparatus. In the operation of the machine as originally constructed some difficulty was experienced due to the fact that the mechanism used for opening and closing the vacuum va ve could not be adjusted with the nicety and convenience required by the conditions under which the machine was used. The glass operated upon is not always uniform in character. The constituents may vary to a certain de gree. The temperature at which it is worked may also vary. If the suction produced in the blank mold is too strong relative to the character and consistency of the particular run of glass being worked the blank will be overcooled. It is therefore necessary to vary the effective size of the port through which the air is exhausted in accordance with the character of the glass operated upon, and as this can only be determined by actual operation of the machine it is a matter of very great convenience to be able to adjust the degree of exhaustion produced in the blank mold While the machine is in operation. The present invention provides for this adj ustability. After the glass has been sucked up into the mold the degree of vacuum maintained back of the blank need not be so great as that required to elevate the metal. Any excess tends to overcool the blank and make it unworkable. The machine described in my application above referred to, as it was originally constructed, failed to give the best results because no provision was made for diminishing the intensity of the vacuum at the time that the blank was held in the mold after the'mold had been completely filled and before the delivcry of the blank to the spindle. My present invention provides an arrangement for producing, in effect, vacuums of two different intensities, the vacuum of greater intensit serving to draw the metal up into the mol that of lesser intensity being employed to simply hold the partially congealed mass in the mold until it can be delivered to the spindle.

The inventionhas for a further ob'ect to provide a cam actuated mechanism or periodically opening a valve consisting of the devices, 1 combinations and arrangements shown in the drawings annexed hereto and which will be hereinafter more fully de scribed and claimed.

The invention is illustrated, in a preferred embodiment, in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a vertical section taken 100 through the apparatus; Fig. 2, an end elevation; Fig. 3, a sectional plan taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4, a sectional view taken on line 44 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5, a fragmentary end elevation of a portion of the rocking actuating device; Fig. 6, a side View of the same showing a part in section; Fig. 7, a View, in perspective, of the adjustable element adapted to engage the cam, and Fig. 8, a sectional plan taken on line 88 of Fig. 1.

Like characters of reference designate like parts in the several figures of the drawings.

The valve mechanism of the present invention is shown in the drawings and will be described as forming a part of a machine such as that described inmy application above referred to, in which a circular element or spider rotates around a station- .ary drum. The valve and the mechanism for opening the same, the subject matter of the present invention, are carried by the spider. The cam is fixed on the stationary drum. In this case just enough of the construction of the machine has been shown to make clear the operation of the improvement here concerned.

Referring to the drawings, 10 designates the stationary drum and 11 the cam secured to the drum by the bolts 12. The circular revoluble member or spider is designated 13. It is formed with the chambers 141 and 15 communicating by means of a port 16. 17 designates the valve operated by the improved mechanism constituting the in- "vention herein claimed. The valve has a stem 18 and is normally kept seated by a spiral spring 19 seated in a recess 20 in the under side of the spider 13 and bearing against a pin extending through the stem 18. The chamber 1% has a port 23 designed to put the chamber in communication with the space intended to be exhausted when valve 17 is raised. The part of the machine formed with this passageway or space is not shown herein as it forms no part of the present invention. The chamber 15 has a port 21 adapted to communicate with the port 25 of a passageway 26 in the head of drum 10, A pipe 27 leads from the passageway 26 to exhausting apparatus (not shown). The intention is that the valve 17 be raised from its seat at a certain definite moment with relation to the series of operations accomplished by the machine and held open for a definite but brief space of time. That is, the valve is opened each time its actuating mechanism comes into contact with the cam 11 or other similar cams arranged around the periphery of the drum 10. The actuating device consists of a preferably tilting element on which are mounted two adjustable members, one under the stem 18 of the valve and adjustable to and from the stem for the purpose of taking up wear in the V&l"6 and stem, the other member being adjustable in a direction at right angles to the first named member and being adapted to contact with the cam 11, the adjustment being for the purpose of accurately timing the lifting of the valve without changing the position of the cam. Both of these adjustments are very desirable, if not necessary, in a machine in which the opening of the valve must be timed with the greatest accuracy. If the valve disk, its stem, or the part which abuts against the stem, or any of them, become appreciably worn the period of time during which the valve stands open and the effective size of the port are changed. As above stated, the effective size of the exhaust port must be varied, so as to vary the vacuum produced in the blank mold, in accordance with the character of the glass being worked. Considerations of like nature may require a variation in the moment that the valve is opened and it is a matter of great convenience to be able to make this adjustment as well, as the other while the machine is in operation instead of stopping the machine as would be necessary if the adjustment could be effected only by changing the position of the cam on the drum.

28 designates the rocking element mount ed by means of a cross pin 29 on the forked bracket 30 secured to the under side of the spider. Loosely mounted in a bore in the rocking member 28 directly below the stem 18 of the valve is a threaded member 31 having a head 32 adapted to abut against the end of the valve stem 18. The threaded end of this member is engaged by an internally threaded worm wheel 33 arranged in a forked portion 3i of the rocking element 28. The worm wheel 33 is meshed by a worm 35 keyed to a shaft 36 mounted at one end in a depending arm 37 formed on the rocking member 28 and at the other end in a boss 38 on a plate 39 secured to the rocking element by the screws 40. The shaft 36 has a hub 41 bearing against the end of the arm 37 and a knurled head 42. The rocking element is formed with slots 43' to receive the ends of a guide pin 44 on the adjustable member 31. The space between the head 32 and the end of the valve stem 18 can be varied by turning the worm shaft 36.

The cam 11 is engaged by a. roller 45 mounted on the end of an arm 46 formed at its upper end with the clove-tailed projection 47 having the smooth groove 18 in its upper surface and formed with the internally threaded boss 49. The projection 4:7 fits into and slides in a. dove-tailed groove 50 formed in a block 51 constituting the lower part of the rocking member 28 and in a late 52 bolted to the block by the bolts he block 51 is formed above the slot 50 with a longitudinal recess. 54 narrowed at one end by the overhanging lip 55. An adj usting screw 56 having the knurled head 57 extends through the threaded opening in the boss l9 and is held from lengthwise movement by means of collars 58 on opposite I elfect upon the blank of the the combination sides of the lip 55. By turning the. adjusting screw 56 tlfe lateral position of the roller 45 may be varied. Hence it is possible to vary the moment at which the valve 17 is opened by cam 11 without making any change in. the position of the cam. The cam 11 is reduced at one end as indicated at 11*. When the roller rides down upon this reduced portion of the cam the valve 17 occupies a position at a very slight distance from its seat. This results in diminishing the vacuum back of the blank, the blank niold having been filled by this time with the molten metal from the furnace. By reducing the strength of the exhaust operating against the glass in the mold the cooling exhausting op eration is diminished. The vacuum may be safely reduced at this stage as a less degree of vacuum is required for keeping the partially congealed blank in the mold than was required for sucking up the glass.

\Vhile I have described my invention in certain preferred embodiments it will be readily understood that modifications might be made without departure from the inven tion. Therefore I do not wish to be understood as limiting the invention to the particulars described and shown.

claim:

1. The combination with a relatively movable cam and valve support, of a valve on said support and transmission mechanism carried'by said support and interposed between the valve and the cam comprising an element adjustable with relation to the valve to vary the valve opening, and other elevments adjustable to vary the moment of actuation of the cam.

2. The combination with a relatively movb able cam and valve support, of a valve on said support and transmission mechanism carried by said support and interposed between the valve and the cam comprising an element adjustable with relation to the valve to vary the valve opening, and other elements adjustable to vary the moment of actuation by the cam, said cam being formed to hold the valve open to difi'erent extents in successive stages of operation.

3. In vacuum glass gathering mechanism, with a support, of a vacuum valve carried thereby, valve operating mechanism for said valve, and a cam arranged to actuate said mechanism to periodically hold said valve open to 'a certain degree, then to hold it open a less degree and then permit it to close.

4. In apparatus of the character describe the combination with a valve and a cam, one having translatory movement with respect to the other, of a rocking device for actuating the valve from said cam, provided with adjustable members fcr engaging the valve and cam respectively, the device for valve, one of engaging the valve being normally out of therewith and means for varying the positions of said members with respect to 5 In apparatus of the character described, the combination with a reciprocatprovided with a worm engaging said worm wheel.

stem, of a cam, a rocking device for actuating said valve from said cam comprismg two elements capable of adjustment laterally, with respect one of which stem but adapted to engage therewith' In apparatus of the character described,

the combination with with respect to the axis of which elements engages with the cam and the other element being provided with means normally out of ut adaptedv to engage therewith.

In apparatus of the character described, the combination with a reciprocating valve having a stem, of a cam, a rocking device for actuating said valve from said cam comprising two elements capable of adjustment laterally, with respect to ,the axis of said which elements is adapted to engage with said cam, and a member mounted on the other of said elements so as to be normally out of contact with said valve stem and so as to alinement therewith.

9. In apparatus of the character described, the combination with a reciprocating valve having a stem, of a cam, a movable device for actuating said valve from said cam comprising two elements capable of adjustment laterally, with respect to the axis of said valve, one of which elements is adapted to engage with said cam, and a member mounted on the other of said elements so as to be normally out of contact with said valve stem and so as to be adjustable in substantial alinement therewith.

10. n apparatus of the character debe adjustable in substantial scribed, the combination with a reciprocating valve having a stem, 01 a cam, one being movable with respect to the other, a rocking element arranged adjacent the end of the valve stem provided with a member normally out of contact with said stem but adapted to engage therewith, which member is adjustable to and from the stem, and with an arm adapted to engage said cam which is adjustable in a direction transverse to the direction of adjustment of said valve engaging member.

11. In apparatus of the character described, the" combination with a reciprocating valve provided with a stem, of a cam, a rocking device which moves with the valve, a member having a threaded portion arranged on the rocking device in substantial alinement with the end of the valve stem, and normally out of contact therewith, means engaging the threaded portion of said-member for adjusting the same to and from said stem, an arm having a slidable engagement with said rocking device in a direction transverse to the axis of said valve provided with a roller to engage said cam, and means for adjusting the position of said arm on said rocking device.

12. In glass forming apparatus comprising a stationary and a movable element, the movable element having an exhaust duct, the combination of a valve to control said duct, mechanism for opening and closing said valve, and an adjustable device, which can be manipulated Without stopping the move ment of the movable element, said valve operating mechanism to vary the effective size of the port controlled-thereby. 13. In glass forming apparatus comprising a'stationary and a movable element, the

movable element having an exhaust duct, the

combination of a valve to control said duct, mechanism for opening and closing sald valve, and an ad ustable device, which can be manipulated without stopping the movement of said movable element, for varying the time at which said valve is opened.

AUGUST KADOjW.

Witnesses:

GEORGE E. DIXON, L. F. LUsooMBE.

for adjusting 

